WIDI: My first ski course in Hochoetz | Ötztal

I'm a real celebrity in Hochoetz

Ski instructor Alex welcomes me

A friendly ski instructor girl says hello at the meeting point. Her name is Alex. "Hello WIDI" she says and puts a name tag on the strap of my ski goggles. "Wow, that looks even cooler," she laughs.
There are some other children around me who are starting their first ski course today. Everyone is very excited and cannot wait to see what is about to happen! I'm sure I'll make a lot of friends here! The ski instructor takes us to the KIDS CLUB on a snowmobile with a trailer. The ride is super fun!

Now it’s getting serious: My first downhill ride on skis!

Once arrived at the KIDS CLUB, it’s finally time to get started! Our ski instructor Alex helps us to strap on our skis. What a weird feeling! Like wearing long clown shoes. Now it's getting even more exciting, it's my turn.
Alex puts my skis together like a triangle. It looks like a pizza slice. We always have to make a pizza because that's our brake. Then Alex pushes me a bit and I slide down the small slope. Woohoo! I am laughing, that's really great! "WIDI put your hooves on your knees so you don't fall," Alex shouts.

Now it’s my turn!

And then I made it. I stopped right at the big arch! My first downhill adventure was a complete success!

Pizza, fries, pizzaaaaaa!!!

Step 2: Making turns

Now I have to waddle like a duck to the magic carpet - whew, that's exhausting! The carpet quickly takes me back up and I slide down the slope once again. I quickly got the point about the pizza slice, because I'm a sheepy strong professional. That's why I can switch to another group right away. Here I will learn how to make turns.

There I jet around tree trunks with funny faces and WIDI slalom poles. Finally, I have to slow down by making a big pizza slice. If you stop in time, Alex will give you a jelly bear. Cool sheep like me love jelly bears.

The first ride on the button lift

Skiing is even more fun in a group!

The next day I go to the button lift together with my group. Our ski instructor Alex explains how to take a ride on the button lift. The skis must lie straight next to each other like two fries. The lift pulls us comfortably up. Another ski instructor named Fredi is already waiting for us there. At the top of the lift, we line up and Fredi is the first of the group. We all ski behind him and make nice turns.

Suddenly it happens. I'm getting faster and faster! Ouch, my first fall! I do a somersault and stay seated on the slope. With snow on my face, Fredi helps me get up. "Don't forget to put your hands on your knees, it's very important. Then you won't fall down so easily," Fredi explains.

Learning in a group is a lot of fun and I've made new friends. Alex and Fredi show us different exercises and tricks. We fly like a bird, the piste police put handcuffs on us and we also have to wave our hands to the ski lift assistant. If we do it well, there will be a few jelly bears for everyone. At noon I go to the children's restaurant for lunch with my friends. There is ski water and sausages with fries. Really delicious!

Side trip to the Magic Forest

The next morning, Alex and Fredi tell us the following: "Today we're heading to Ochsengarten, it's going to be a great adventure through the forest."

We dash down the red slope pretty quickly. There are a few falls, but we don't mind. The first time we fall, Fredi explains how to get up properly and next time I'll try it myself. I'm not a little sheepy kid anymore. In the forest we discover wild animals, we are truly amazed.

skiing kids forrest Hochoetz ski course winter

Let's go to the Magic Forest in Ochsengarten!

Finally it’s Thursday: The big final race is scheduled

I'm really looking forward to it, because today is the big final ski race and I can show everyone how much I learned in my first ski course!

In the morning we are still training hard on how to dash through the WIDI gates, then the race begins! We cheer each other as much as we can! Many parents came too. Then it's my turn. I'm the last in my group. As I'm jetting through the gates, I hear them shouting: "Chop-chop WIDI, you're the fastest!" So I put my head even more down while getting faster and faster! Unfortunately, I make a mistake and I have to brake hard by making a big pizza slice, but in the end it's enough for second place.

My ski instructor hands me over the silver medal and congratulates on my great race. I'm really happy. At the end we take a group photo as a souvenir for this super cool skiing week. I'm sure I'll be back for a ski course next year.

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